HT From Bitter Waters to Sweet: Link to a South African Christian on what's wrong with purity balls

Many of these girls do not understand what they promise, and the possible consequences. Even the older girls are often home-schooled and so isolated that they have no idea what normal relationships work like in the 21 century.

Moreover, she often has hardly any choice in the matter. Everyone in the worlds of some of these girls pressures her to make this pledge, would treat her as a slut if she does not, and would later blame her if she does not keep it.

... In conclusion, a wise father will protect his daughter from making vows she does not understand, and which God does not want her to make. ...

Hmm, is that "biblical"?

Numbers 30:3-5
“When a young woman still living in her father’s household makes a vow to the LORD or obligates herself by a pledge and her father hears about her vow or pledge but says nothing to her, then all her vows and every pledge by which she obligated herself will stand. But if her father forbids her when he hears about it, none of her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand; the LORD will release her because her father has forbidden her.

I guess so. If obedience is better than sacrifice than seeking to be obedient to the Lord despite failure may be a whole lot wiser than making a pledge that, studies have shown, ends in failure.

This blog post I linked to was written by a South African Christian woman. Lately I read that a certain preacher said South African Christians were cowardly. That doesn't fit anything I have known of South African Christians I have had the pleasure to befriend. I've strenuously disagreed with one or two of them of the years ... but cowardly is the last word I would use to describe them!

If purity balls are becoming normal for home-schooled Christians then I'm glad I only ever attended public school.

1 comment:

Juniper
said...

I've really enjoyed your blog and this post in particular. I go to an Acts29 church that is just starting redemption groups. What are they exactly? What I've learned causes me unease as I am leery of inexpert or not professionally directed support groups -- not that there aren't good ones like NAMI for example, but this seems like you could be letting the untrained tell you what is psychologically or emotionally best for you.